1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a quick connector for piping for connecting hoses or pipes which are employed to transfer a fluid, such as gasoline, oil, water, air and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There has been a connector which is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 41794/1989. As illustrated in FIG. 20, the connector comprises a tubular-shaped male member 104 which includes a ring-shaped projection 104a formed at an end on an outer peripheral surface thereof, a tubular-shaped female member 103 including an annular-shaped bulging portion 103a which is formed on an opening end side thereof and which projects radially inward, an engager claw member 106 which is made of a flexible material, which is held by the male member 104 and which is inserted into and engaged with the female member 103, and sealing members 105 and a bushing 107 all of which are disposed in the female member 103 and between the female member 103 and the engager claw member 106. The engager claw member 106 includes a tubular-shaped base 161 in which an annular-shaped groove 161a is formed so as to engage with the ring-shaped projection 104a of the male member 104, and a plurality of legs 162 which extend from the base 161 and which include a concaved groove 162a adapted for engaging with the annular-shaped bulging portion 103a of the female member 103.
In the conventional connector, the male member 104 is first inserted into the engager claw member 106 so as to flex the engager claw member 106 in centrifugal directions, thereby engaging the annular-shaped groove 161a and the ring-shaped projection 104a. Thereafter, the concaved grooves 162a of the engager claw member 106 are flexed radially inward so as to engage with the annular-shaped bulging portion 103a, and at the same time the male member 104 is inserted into the female member 103 together with the engager claw member 106. In this way, the male member 104 can be held in the female member 103 quickly.
However, in the conventional connector, when the male member 104 is pulled in a direction so that it comes out of the female member 103 during service, or when an external force is exerted between the female member 103 and the male member 104 in a direction perpendicular to an axis thereof during service, there arises a fear that the male member 104 may not be held in the female member 103 stably and the reliability of the connector has not been sufficient accordingly, since the male member 104 is held only by the engagement between the annular-shaped groove 161a and the ring-shaped projection 104a and by the engagement between the concaved grooves 162a and the annular-shaped bulging portion 103a. Further, when the pulling force or the external force is large, there arises a fear that even the legs 162 may be deformed heavily.
Moreover, in the conventional connector, there arises a fear that the O-rings 105 and the bushing 107 may be displaced in an axial direction depending on service conditions. If such is the case, the sealing property which results from the O-rings 105 may deteriorate, and it is disadvantageous in view of attaining the pressure resistance. For instance, when a high hydraulic pressure acts on the O-rings 105 in a direction of the arrow "F" of FIG. 20 from an opening 103f side of the female member 103, the high hydraulic pressure acts on the O-rings 105 by way of a fine space "m" between an inner peripheral surface 103g of the female member 103 and an outer peripheral surface 104g of the male member 104 at the front end, thereby displacing the O-rings 105 in the axial direction. Thus, the sealing property and the pressure resistance which result from the O-rings 105 may deteriorate.
Additionally, the high hydraulic pressure applied to the O-rings 105 is further transmitted to the bushing 107 and the engager claw member 106, and accordingly the high hydraulic pressure generates a flexural stress in the engager claw member 106. As a result, the engaging force exerted between the concaved grooves 162a of the engager claw member 106 and the annular-shaped bulging portion 103a of the female member 103 may be weakened, and consequently the connecting force between the male member 104 and the female member 103 may be weakened. In addition, since the high hydraulic pressure applied to the O-rings 105 by way of the fine space "m" is further transmitted to the bushing 107 and the engager claw member 106, a wall surface of the concaved grooves 162a of the engager claw member 106 may be pressed against the annular-shaped bulging portion 103a of the female member 103 heavily and excessively, there is a fear that the wall surface of the concaved grooves 162a may be damaged depending on material qualities of the engager claw member 106. Hence, in the conventional connector, the engaging forces are thus likely to be unstable.